EP0790328A1 - Dünnschichtabscheidung - Google Patents
Dünnschichtabscheidung Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0790328A1 EP0790328A1 EP97300843A EP97300843A EP0790328A1 EP 0790328 A1 EP0790328 A1 EP 0790328A1 EP 97300843 A EP97300843 A EP 97300843A EP 97300843 A EP97300843 A EP 97300843A EP 0790328 A1 EP0790328 A1 EP 0790328A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- chamber
- plasma
- target
- substrate
- sputtering
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/34—Sputtering
- C23C14/3435—Applying energy to the substrate during sputtering
- C23C14/345—Applying energy to the substrate during sputtering using substrate bias
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/34—Sputtering
- C23C14/35—Sputtering by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/34—Sputtering
- C23C14/35—Sputtering by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering
- C23C14/354—Introduction of auxiliary energy into the plasma
- C23C14/358—Inductive energy
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
- H01J37/32082—Radio frequency generated discharge
- H01J37/321—Radio frequency generated discharge the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
Definitions
- This invention relates to methods and apparatus for the deposition of thin films and, more particularly, to the deposition of such films by means of an improved sputtering process.
- a convenient way of effecting energetic ion impingement is to operate the deposition process in a plasma present in the process chamber, for example in sputtering, plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) and ion assisted evaporation processes.
- PECVD plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition
- sputtering processes are widely used for depositing thin coatings or films of materials on to substrates.
- Such processes take place in an evacuated chamber containing a small quantity of an ionisable gas, for example argon; electrons emitted from a source held within the chamber ionise the gas to form a plasma; a target comprising the material to be sputtered is bombarded by ions causing atoms of the target material to be dislodged and subsequently deposited as a film on the substrate being coated.
- an ionisable gas for example argon
- the rate of deposition may be increased by the use of magnetic means, for example an array of permanent magnets positioned in a predetermined manner (commonly as a closed loop), associated with the cathode target to create in use a plasma which is localised along a sputtering zone of the target and thereby to define the area or region, from which sputtering, or erosion of the target, occurs.
- magnetic means for example an array of permanent magnets positioned in a predetermined manner (commonly as a closed loop), associated with the cathode target to create in use a plasma which is localised along a sputtering zone of the target and thereby to define the area or region, from which sputtering, or erosion of the target, occurs.
- the target is commonly of flat, elongate and rectangular form and the substrate being coated is moved continuously or intermittently relative to the target during the sputtering process.
- Apparatus having such a target and having magnetic means of the type described above is known as a planar magnetron.
- the area of the target from which the sputtering takes place (commonly referred to as the "race track") is relatively small and this causes erosion of the target surface in a relatively small, for example ring-shaped, region corresponding to the shape of the closed loop magnetic field. Thus, only a small portion of the total target surface area is consumed before the target needs replacing.
- planar target it is also known, however, to replace the planar target with a hollow cylindrical one comprising, or having the outer surface thereof coated with, the material to be sputtered.
- Apparatus containing such a target is known as a cylindrical magnetron and is sold by BOC Coating Technology (a division of the Applicants) under the trade mark "C-Mag”.
- the cylindrical target is rotatable about its longitudinal axis either continuously or intermittently during use so that sputtering is not confined to one particular area of the target surface.
- the substrate being coated is moved, again either continuously or intermittently, relative to the target in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the target.
- the magnetron means in the form of an array of permanent magnets are generally held stationary within the cylindrical target whilst (in use) the latter rotates.
- some adjustment of the magnet array relative to the target is normally possible for overall adjustment prior to each sputtering process.
- Such apparatus therefore allows a much greater amount of the target to be consumed in the sputtering process by selectively bringing different portions of the target into a sputtering position in respect of the magnetic field formed by the magnets.
- magnetron assisted sputtering is based on the principle that electrons are trapped in a closed path (the "race track") in front of the sputter target using crossed electric and magnetic fields; the trapped electrons generate high argon in concentrations near the target and a high sputter target results.
- the shape of the race track is determined by an array of magnets mounted behind the target means that the technique is generally restricted to use with target of low magnetic permeability. there are therefore difficulties in forming useful deposits of magnetic materials using magnetron assisted techniques.
- a further problem that may be encountered with magnetron assisted sputtering is that the surface of the target away from the "race track" may become poisoned by the deposition or formation thereon of unwanted coatings, for example the formation of an aluminium oxide coating on the surface of an aluminium target, which can act as an insulator and cause the target to act as a capacitor, leading to plasma instability and a reduced reproducibility of the required sputtered deposit.
- the present invention provides an improved sputtering deposition process which generally allows for efficient deposition of thin film without the need to use magnetic means in the apparatus for conducting the process, thereby allowing for one or more of:
- a process of depositing thin film coatings by sputtering which comprises:
- a helicon wave is known per se and can be produced in a chamber at high vacuum by interaction between a substantially uniform magnetic field and an electric field profile of an external antenna operating at a radio frequency (rf). Wave energy from the antenna emissions is transferred to the electrons produced in a plasma, for example argon, discharge present in the chamber by the well known mechanism know as Landau damping; in the case of helicon waves in particular, energy exchange is thought to occur in a much more efficient manner than with other types of discharge.
- a plasma for example argon
- Radio frequency discharges of 13.56 MHz are preferred although related frequencies of 6.78 and 27.12 MHz could also usefully be employed.
- the pressure in the deposition chamber should be from 10 -2 to 10 -3 mbar or lower to ensure the production of plasma, for example an argon plasma.
- plasma for example an argon plasma.
- baffle plates it may be necessary to introduce baffle plates in to the process chamber to vary the pressure in different parts of the chamber.
- the invention is especially useful in processes for the reactive sputtering of thin films in which a gaseous element or compound to be co-deposited with the sputtered material is present in the chamber.
- the invention can usefully be performed in a chamber in which, or about which, field coils are present to effect a substantially uniform magnetic field (commonly cylindrical) in a pre-determined area of the chamber.
- a substantially uniform magnetic field commonly cylindrical
- Three such field coils spaced along the length of the relevant part of the chamber are generally sufficient; preferably the coils are present in a linear array.
- the rf antenna At one end of the array is positioned the rf antenna to cause, in use of the process of the invention, the intense helicon plasma wave, produced by interaction between the magnetic field and the rf power supply, which in turn accelerates plasma electrons by the mechanism of Landau damping.
- the drawing shows a process chamber generally shown at 1 about an external surface of a generally cylindrical end 2 of which is positioned a radio frequency antenna 3 and two field coils 4.
- a third field coil 5 is positioned about a generally cylindrical end 6 of the process chamber 1 such that the three field coils form a substantially linear array about a central part of the chamber 1.
- a target 7 of the substance to be sputtered for example indium.
- a substrate 8 held in place by a substrate holder 9.
- the substrate can be of any suitable size or shape. As shown in the drawing, it is a stationary substrate but the coalescing apparatus may be modified to accommodate a moving substrate which slowly passes in to the apparatus for the coating to occur and then out of the apparatus on a continuous basis.
- Vacuum pumps (not shown) are provided to evacuate the chamber 1 in the direction shown by the arrow A. Evacuation can usefully be effected by means of a turbo-molecular plus backing (rotary) pump system or by means of a diffusion pump plus rotary pump system or an additional turbo-molecular pump plus backing (rotary) pump.
- the vacuum pump systems are operated to produce a vacuum in the upper and central parts of the chamber 1 of, typically above about 1 x 10 -3 .
- the chamber 1 itself was initially pumped down to 1 x 10 -5 mbar. Pure oxygen (as the reactive gas) and pure argon (as the plasma gas) were injected into the chamber 1 such that their partial pressures were about 3 x 10 -4 mbar and 1 x 10 -3 mbar respectively.
- the three field coils 4, 4, 5 were set to produce a uniform magnetic field of about 200 Gauss and the antenna 3 set at an rf power of about 2KW and a frequency of 13.56 MHz.
- the ions bombard the target and material is sputtered off the surface thereof in a relatively uniform manner in the absence of any magnets and sputtered material plus oxygen form the reactive gas present in the chamber 1 is deposited on to the substrate.
- the process of the invention has been used to good effect to coat glass substrates with indium (no reactive gas) and indium oxide (with reactive gas).
- the invention has also been used to deposit coatings of iron, nickel and cobalt all of which are magnetic materials.
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Physical Vapour Deposition (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GBGB9602948.3A GB9602948D0 (en) | 1996-02-13 | 1996-02-13 | Thin film deposition |
GB9602948 | 1996-02-13 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0790328A1 true EP0790328A1 (de) | 1997-08-20 |
Family
ID=10788645
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP97300843A Withdrawn EP0790328A1 (de) | 1996-02-13 | 1997-02-10 | Dünnschichtabscheidung |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0790328A1 (de) |
JP (1) | JPH09316636A (de) |
GB (1) | GB9602948D0 (de) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2343992A (en) * | 1998-11-20 | 2000-05-24 | Michael John Thwaites | High density plasmas |
US6463873B1 (en) | 2000-04-04 | 2002-10-15 | Plasma Quest Limited | High density plasmas |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0403418A2 (de) * | 1989-06-13 | 1990-12-19 | PLASMA & MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | Plasmadepositions- und Ätzungsanlage mit hoher Dichte |
US5091049A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1992-02-25 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
US5122251A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1992-06-16 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
WO1994009179A1 (en) * | 1992-10-19 | 1994-04-28 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
-
1996
- 1996-02-13 GB GBGB9602948.3A patent/GB9602948D0/en active Pending
-
1997
- 1997-02-10 EP EP97300843A patent/EP0790328A1/de not_active Withdrawn
- 1997-02-13 JP JP2876797A patent/JPH09316636A/ja active Pending
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0403418A2 (de) * | 1989-06-13 | 1990-12-19 | PLASMA & MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | Plasmadepositions- und Ätzungsanlage mit hoher Dichte |
US5091049A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1992-02-25 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
US5122251A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1992-06-16 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
WO1994009179A1 (en) * | 1992-10-19 | 1994-04-28 | Plasma & Materials Technologies, Inc. | High density plasma deposition and etching apparatus |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2343992A (en) * | 1998-11-20 | 2000-05-24 | Michael John Thwaites | High density plasmas |
GB2343992B (en) * | 1998-11-20 | 2001-06-20 | Michael John Thwaites | High density plasmas |
US6463873B1 (en) | 2000-04-04 | 2002-10-15 | Plasma Quest Limited | High density plasmas |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9602948D0 (en) | 1996-04-10 |
JPH09316636A (ja) | 1997-12-09 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): CH DE FR GB LI NL |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19980211 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19990510 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 19990921 |